Sometimes, you can watch a horror film that shakes you to the core. Things like The Exorcist were, in their time, bordering on totally outrageous and it’s a shock that they were even allowed to be made let alone shown. A lot of people, understandably, hate everything about the genre.
However, there are some horror films that even the most ardent horror hater would be able to stomach. Whether it’s because they’re so bad it basically becomes a comedy, so funny that the horror takes a backseat, or simply not that scary. We’ve found ten of the best horror films for people who typically don’t like horror.
Get Out
From the mind of Jordan Peele, Get Out was a huge deal when it first hit cinema screens back in 2017. With Daniel Kaluuya (who you may recognize from Black Mirror’s ‘Fifteen Million Merits’) front and center, the film is driven forward by fantastic acting from the lead roles, twists from every angle and genuinely hilarious comedy from Lil Rel Howery in his supporting role as Rod.
The reason it works for non-horror fans is because it’s just not that scary. Sure, you can anticipate the occasional jump scare and tense moment, but it isn’t a horror film in the typical sense.
It 2
On a slightly less positive note, the reason It 2 makes it on to this list is because it is so incredibly un-scary that it basically becomes a comedy film. Its runtime is the scariest thing about it, clocking in at an over three-hour long test of endurance. If you’re scared of clowns then I’d avoid this one still, but assuming you aren’t, I can guarantee you not a single moment will shake you up.
The tension is removed by the presence of strange CGI creatures around every bend, while rather than feeling sympathy for the main characters, their constant quipping and jokes make them a target you almost want to be chased by a killer clown.
The Shining
The reason The Shining has made it onto our list is because it’s simply the greatest work of horror cinema ever conceived.
Jack Nicholson gives a startling performance as Jack Torrance, while Danny Lloyd is one of the few child actors to play his character with poise and skill. While Shelly Duvall is great as Wendy, her overacting is one of the main things that contribute to the relatively scare-less journey that is this film.
Stephen King absolutely hated it (because it isn’t scary) but it is a masterclass in filmmaking, with director Stanley Kubrick managing to turn a single setting with three characters and limited dialogue into one of the most engaging films of all time.
Shaun Of The Dead
The first entry in the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, Shaun Of The Dead, is a comedy before it’s a horror film. There are zombies roaming around, sure, but they aren’t the terrifying sprinters of World War Z or 28 Days Later, and they remain basically completely un-scary throughout.
If a horror hater can get past the idea that there are zombies front and center, they’ll be able to focus on the fact that this is one of the funniest genre-parodies of all time, from the brilliant mind of Edgar Wright.
Dawn Of The Dead
The zombie film from which Shaun Of The Dead took its name has two well-known versions. Both of these make our list. The original 1978 version comes from the creator of zombies himself, George A Romero, and pretty much avoids all scares due to it being so old that nothing really holds up.
The 2004 version is a lot more intense and fast-paced, but as the setting is primarily a shopping center and the visuals are almost always bright as can be, there isn’t really a lot of time for the film to start unnerving the viewer.
Zombieland
In a way similar to Shaun Of The Dead, the Woody Harrelson/Jesse Eisenberg fronted Zombieland puts its comedy way above its horror. The zombies are a bit quicker here, with some more graphic detail put into their methods of victim-devouring, but, much like Dawn Of The Dead, most of the film is spent in bright sunlight.
The closest thing we get to a genuine scare is the opening scene used to introduce the zombies and a detailed creepy clown who appears right at the end. Overall, though, this is a comedy film that you’d be able to stomach, no matter how much you hate horror normally.
The Wicker Man
While attempting to be scary, The Wicker Man has made our list simply because it’s so, so bad. The Nicholas Cage remake, that is. While it attempts to replicate some of the spine-tingling chills of the original film, the 2006 remake is universally derided for its abominable acting performances (including Cage’s now-infamous “not the bees!”), terrible CGI and general inability to create anything even close to tension.
You can watch this film with absolute assurance that not a single moment will scare you. In fact, the only thing that will is how Cage managed to forge such a successful career when abysmal performances like this lie within his filmography.
Attack The Block
You might recognize the main cast of Attack The Block from a variety of well-known shows that sort of take you out of the moment from the word go. It’s weird seeing Fin from Star Wars standing next to Doctor Who herself and Ed from Shaun Of The Dead, but it works surprisingly well in creating a brilliantly funny comedy.
The horror is supposed to come from the imminent alien invasion, but you don’t really need to worry about them; they don’t look great. Also, aliens are never scary. Except in, like, Alien.
Night Of The Living Dead
Another George A Romero classic, but this time his first one ever. Night Of The Living Dead is thought of by some as the first zombie film, even though the word isn’t uttered. Its black and white setting keeps a strange element of creepiness present throughout, but the fact the film recently celebrated its 51st birthday, it doesn’t really hold up.
The zombies are slow-moving and clearly just played by human actors who are finding what they’re asked to do a bit funny. Also, it’s entered the public domain in the US, so do whatever you want with it.
Jaws
While its status is that of one of the greatest, most ground-breaking films of all time, Jaws really isn’t that scary. When it first came out, it was infamous for making people scared of water and it gave a new lease of life for the bias against sharks, but that fear doesn’t make sense anymore.
It still looks pretty convincing, and we get a few jump scares that will catch anyone off guard, but the general idea of watching a shark roam about just doesn’t remain as intense as it should.
